Dear Mr Uchiha
by NenaUchiha22
Summary: Non-massacre: Fugaku had imagined his whole life how the lives of his sons would turn out to be; succesful and well-married. The marriage should be with someone in their own clan, that was a given, he never expected that his youngest would decide against this. SasuSaku. One-shot.


My first One-shot, I tend to always write full stories with more than 5 chapters, but I had this idea and have been working for it for over a month… and managed it to turn it into a one-chapter story. Hope you guys like it!

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**Dear Mr. Uchiha**

By Nena-uchiha22

Fugaku loved his children, he didn't show it, but he did. He however had set certain standards for his children and expected the upmost best. It was understandable that Fugaku had pressured Sasuke so much, after all, Itachi had set the bar so high. He was out of the academy by age 7, mastered the sharingan at age 8, became a Chunin at 10, ANBU captain at 13. And he was now one of the strongest Ninjas in the world, if it wasn't because of bureaucracy or the existence of the fox kid, Fugaku was sure Itachi would've already been named Hokage. Sasuke awako his sharingan around the same age of Itachi, he was however a genius in a different sense, while Itachi was better for decisions in the long run playing possible scenarios years in end…Sasuke was more of a decision in the spot kind of ninja, he excelled at making last second choices and he was almost always asserted. Sasuke's chakra control was what detained him from graduating as early as his brother, he, as opposed of Itachi, recklessly used his chakra and learned to control it at around age 12. He graduated as any other ninja, something that Fugaku didn't like, Mikoto on the other hand was glad her kid could have a normal childhood, something Itachi couldn't have. Fugaku thought Sasuke was extraordinary just like his brother, the world thought Fugaku only loved the eldest but that couldn't be farther from the truth, he adored Sasuke. He had all the looks of his wife, but his personality was all his. Itachi had the looks of Fugaku, but ninja skills resembled more the ones of Mikoto.

The clan leader sat on his desk thinking of his two kids, they were meant to do extraordinary things, which they had done and would keep doing. The latest ninja war broke out only two years before and Itachi took charge of a whole battalion, but it was Sasuke who surprised everyone by sealing Kaguya with the Fox Kid and the Pink haired girl. Oh yes, that _team 7_. Fugaku wasn't happy that Sasuke was forced to graduate like a normal kid, but he was _least_ thrilled about his genin team. Fugaku was a very involved father, so he researched his son's teammates and his teacher, he didn't like Kakashi but respected his strength. Kakashi was an ANBU captain before being a teacher, he had a lighting affinity, something Sasuke shared so he would highly benefit from having Kakashi as his teacher, he had to admit that. The Naruto Uzumaki kid didn't promise much, he saw his grades and they were the lowest of the class and by a miracle he had passed, he didn't need that kind of burden slowing down Sasuke. Despite being the lowest of his class, he did have Uzumaki and Namikaze blood, which meant that he had potential, as opposed to the girl. Haruno Sakura, she came from a civilian family, the mother didn't have a trace of ninja chakra in her blood and the dad was a genin. A _genin_. She had less potential than anyone he had ever encountered. He was so disappointed with this outcome that he personally requested the Hokage for a change, his kid could even be without a team, anything better than this. But his request was denied.

He opened a box of things from a drawer in his desk and found two boxes in it, one small and the other one medium. He sighed as he looked at them. He opened the latter and it was full of small pictures of his kids and his achievements, he never would admit it—only to Mikoto—but he kept track of their every achievement. The box was filled with pictures of Itachi when he made genin, Chunin and ANBU. Of Sasuke when he graduated the Academy, when he got his sharingan activated, even of his first mission with Team 7. He looked at the picture, his eyes carrying a mixture of feelings, he never would've thought this team of underachievers would've been the perfect choice for Sasuke to increase his powers. The thing Sasuke struggled the most which was Chakra control, the civilian girl excelled at that and she helped him, for the fox kid, Sasuke felt challenged constantly and made him his rival. He never stopped when it came to Naruto, he started training for longer times, and Fugaku was sure the reason why Sasuke evolved his sharingan so fast after joining Team 7 was because of Naruto. He reached level 3 incredibly fast, so for that he gave props to the fox.

He closed that box and looked at the other one. He knew what was inside and didn't need to see what it was, but he still opened it… a _ring_. The ring his father gave his mother, and he was meant to give it to Itachi when he married, the eldest has been postponing it so it was meant for Sasuke when he decided on a clan girl he decided to marry. He thought his kids deserved to choose who they wanted to marry, most of Uchiha's marriages are planned by the council to keep the bloodline strong, but he thought Sasuke and Itachi had earned their right to choose, after all Itachi was the prodigy and highest ANBU within the clan, and Sasuke had won a war and awoken the Rinnegan. Both were above any of the council members in the clan, and Fugaku didn't think it would be fair that his children got their partners chosen when they were well known stronger than any other Uchiha. But he had never expected the visit his youngest paid to Fugaku that one day.

_His 20-year-old son stood in front of him in the room that was meant to be his office, Fugaku looked up from the pile of documents he had been reading._

"_Yes, Sasuke?" he asked sitting up straighter._

"_I have come to request the possession of Baasan's ring" he said. His features didn't show any sign of vulnerability or any emotion whatsoever. Fugaku had to repeat in his head what his kid had said twice before the realization of Sasuke's future marriage hit him._

_Fugaku smiled and stood up, he nodded and laughed proudly. _

"_I didn't think this would happen so soon" he said smiling. "But I guess it was meant to happen" he finished. "Who is the girl? The daughter of Kagami? She's very pretty and highly skilled in her Sharingan. The daughter of Inabi? She's a good candidate–or—oh no—the granddaughter of Uruchi? Oh Sasuke, that may cause some trouble since she doesn't have a mother and father, but I guess I can talk to the clan, she for sure is beautiful" He moved some papers to the side as he said this._

"_No" Sasuke answered his eyes never leaving his father's. "I am to marry Haruno Sakura"_

_Fugaku dropped the folder he was holding._

"_Your teammate?" he asked smiling thinking he heard wrong or maybe his son had said the wrong name. But his smile faded after a few seconds. "You're out of your mind if you think you're going to marry that girl" he laughed at him expecting him to say that it was a joke. After a few seconds of no sound coming from his youngest, the realization of the seriousness of his statement dropped on Fugaku like a bucket full of ice-cold water._

_Sasuke expected that response from his father therefore he held his reaction at bay. He took in a deep breath. _

"_It's decided. I am just requesting access to the ring"_

"_You are speaking nonsense" Fugaku said. "Sasuke, you and Itachi are the strongest Uchiha alive, your bloodline must be preserved, not only every Uchiha must stay within the clan, YOU have to marry someone in your clan" he finished trying to reason with his son._

"_I will not marry someone I do not wish to marry" Sasuke said. _

_Fugaku walked towards his son._

"_You're thinking of the now, Sasuke. You see an attractive girl and it's the first time you got feelings for one, so you think you're in love. You are not. You have to think of the future, your kids will suffer the weakness of her blood. You're dooming the clan" _

_To this Sasuke did react, he clenched his fist and looked down. Fugaku for a second thought that his words resonated with his son but when Sasuke met his dad's eyes he had the sharingan activated and his Rinnegan showing. Fugaku went cold for only a second before his face hardened, was his kid threatening him?_

"_Boy you're out of your mind if you think—_

"_I am marrying Sakura. I welcome your blessing, but do not need it. I paid my debt with the clan a long time ago by serving it loyally. The weight you put on bloodline has clouded your judgment, I can only think of 4 Uchiha's within the clan that could be stronger than Sakura"_

"_She doesn't have a bloodline Sasuke"_

"_I will call myself lucky if my kids have at least one ounce of her, father" he said. Fugaku's sharingan activated. _

"_You're weakening your clan" he hissed._

"_You can either get on board or shun me out. But this is happening, with the ring or without"_

_And in a second Sasuke was gone. Fugaku threw to the ground everything on the desk out of frustration._

It had been three weeks after his son announced his proposal to Sakura to him. He held the hope that Sasuke would change his mind. But after a week he realized his stubborn kid would not change his mind, he frowned at the idea. So much wasted potential if he were to marry that girl, he thought. It didn't help that his family wasn't on his side, Itachi had actually known for quite some time that Sasuke and Sakura were dating. His wife Mikoto, didn't know and battled with the idea a few days but finally gave in. She had said "Look at him, dear. You've never seen Sasuke this happy. Would you he rather be in a loveless marriage?" Fugaku alleged that he and Mikoto _in fact_ _had had_ an arranged marriage. She had laughed and answered "You seem to forget, we were privileged. We already were dating, and I was the best Kunoichi in the clan and you the best shinobi. It was meant to happen. Not everyone is this lucky" her words resonated in his brain for quite some time, but he tried to push them away. Fugaku thought the clan came first, he had told his sons all the time and yet Itachi had no intention of marrying, and Sasuke wanted to marry a common girl.

He gritted his teeth at the idea. With one resolution in mind he put the boxes back in the desk and walked out of his office, he would fix this one way or another.

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Fugaku arrived at the Konoha General hospital using the excuse of needing a checkup. The nurses had assigned him to some doctor, but he had requested Haruno Sakura. The nurses explained to him that Sakura didn't do check ups as it was a basic procedure given to other doctors. Fugaku insisted and since he was the head of the police little could be denied to him, especially if it was a lone nurse who had to say no. With a small bow the nurse disappeared into a room to call in Sakura using the installation phone, Fugaku heard his name being said but paid no more attention than that. Within the next five minutes a slender figure walked out of the elevator, her coat on and her hair loose, she looked at the nurse first and dismissed her with a nod, then she drove her eyes to Fugaku. The clan leader's look was hard on her, but Sakura didn't look intimidated with a small smile she gestured him to follow her.

"This way Fugaku-san" she said, her voice didn't waive, the leader followed her into the elevator. She quickly pressed a bottom and they reached the fifth floor, he followed her as she entered a spacious room that had two beds, a few chairs scattered around and a desk. She asked him to sit down on a chair and he complied, she sat in front of him. "I will check your vital signs now" she said.

With a stethoscope she had pulled from a cabinet inside the desk she reached to check his heartbeat and asked him to breath in and out. He complied all of this while not looking away from her, something that Sakura was fully aware. After she checked this, she moved to stand in front of him and lifted a chart from her desk on her right.

"You had a check up two weeks ago" she said after reading the file.

"You can't be too careful" he said.

Sakura sighed and sat down in front of him, he on the chair and she on the corner of the hospital bed.

"Fugaku-san, you and I know you don't need a checkup. Will you please state the real reason of your visit?" she asked. Fugaku's eyes narrowed as he answered.

"You know" he said.

Sakura examined his eyes for a few seconds before answering.

"It's about Sasuke, but I fail to see what you wish to accomplish coming here" she said.

"I've come to request of you to break off the engagement" he said expecting a reaction, but he found eyes that looked unsurprised.

"I can't" she said not leaving his eyes.

"You can't or you won't?" he asked.

"I won't" she answered. "I am going to marry Sasuke"

"Sakura _Haruno_" he said making special emphasis in her last name. "You can't seriously be this irrational" he hardened his look on her. "Your bloodline is weak or basically _nonexistent_. The Uchiha Clan has a rich history, it founded this village and it's the strongest clan alive, how did we keep the power we have? It's not only the sharingan but our blood has remained pure for generations. The strongest clan members must stick with its own, your involvement with my son won't only hurt the future offspring you may bear but the strength of the clan, and with that the strength of Konoha. Sasuke like Itachi are the strongest shinobis, and Sasuke is the only Rinnegan bearer. Such a strong shinobi can't mingle with someone like your kind." He finished and hoped it had hit home but he found the woman looking at him unaffected. "It's nothing personal. But you don't even have a clan. Not even belong to the specialized clans like Aburame, Inuzuka, Yamanaka, Nara… you don't have a Kekkei Genkai. You don't have anything to bring to the table"

Sakura nodded as if she was dealing with a troublesome patient, as if taking in all of what he said she closed her eyes and breathed deeply, she opened her eyes intending to answer in the most civilized way possible.

"Fugaku-san" she said politely. "You're using to insult me the things I've heard my whole life. I know you already did research on me, I was not blessed with a bloodline, I know. I was even advised not to become a ninja. Your words could have hurt me years ago, but they can't hurt me now" Fugaku narrowed his eyes. "Fugaku-san, see that building over there?" she pointed at the window to a new building, it was the same size of the hospital they were in. He slowly turned to stare at such building. "I founded that one, it's the Children's hospital. I've also opened the same concept in Suna and three other countries. I am the head of all of Fire Country's hospitals. Do you know how many Uchihas I helped during the war?" she asked. "_All_ of them, my summon Katsuyu even healed _you_" she added to which Fugaku responded by narrowing his eyes more. "It doesn't affect me that you don't think I am strong or that you think my blood is weak. Because I _know_ I am strong. I had to work hard to get where I am, nothing was given to me, Fugaku-san… I am considered by the shinobi alliance Kage level now" she added and Fugaku's stare deepened.

"Haruno-san, your achievements are acknowledged" he said. "It doesn't change the fact that your chakra reserves are low, your future children will inevitably share that as well. Even if they're born with the Sharingan they won't be able to use it fully with the chakra level they will inherit" he said.

"Fugaku-san" she said sighing. "Can you show me your sharingan?" she asked.

Fugaku was taken aback by the request but complied. He closed his eyes and when he opened them, she was staring at scarlet red.

"You're using 23% more chakra than needed" she said after closing her eyes herself to get a sense of his chakra. Fugaku looked at her for a moment, a hint of surprise in his eyes that he immediately suppressed, Sakura saw it though, after all her fiancé's reactions were identical.

Fugaku knew he was using more chakra than needed, it was hard to be exact with the amount of chakra used since it required a high level of chakra control, he had worked with Itachi and Sasuke since they were young to use the required amount of chakra but they still couldn't master it to perfection, often using a lot of chakra. Itachi was the member of the clan with the most precise chakra usage only 13% more than needed. The rest of the clan, Fugaku knew, used over 40% more than required so all in all, his family wasn't the most chakra wasteful there was.

"You can sense chakra's proportions?" he asked a little intrigued.

"As you said, I don't have big chakra reserves. I only made it this far because I never use more chakra than is required when fighting or healing" she answered Fugaku looked at her for a few seconds. "Fugaku-san, I understand your concern about your future grandchildren. I am a doctor and I know genetically they're more likely to inherit something similar to Sasuke's chakra reserves. I also know in the rare case that they didn't and if they were to decide to become shinobis, I would teach them the full optimization of their chakra." Sakura got off the bed to pick up a tool from her desk, it was a small clean knife, she stabbed herself on the hand with the medical knife and Fugaku flinched trying to understand what she was planning. "You can see chakra with your Sharingan, I am going to heal myself and you tell me what you see" she said.

Fugaku narrowed his eyes and his sharingan started spinning looking at how she healed her bleeding hand with the other. Fugaku didn't seem to miss that she didn't use hand signs before the green chakra started flowing on her left hand. Interestingly, even if the green chakra was noticeable, Fugaku failed to see the chakra trail that was disturbed, he had seen medic nin's work before and he could always see the chakra flowing into the directions of the hands. But he failed to see chakra disturbed within Sakura. It took her 2 seconds to fix her wound and she cleaned herself with some tissues before returning to meet Fugaku's gaze.

The clan leader would never admit it, but he was slightly impressed. He closed his eyes as he deactivated his sharingan and opened them again to see Sakura.

"Why Sasuke?" he asked. "I am sure you can find other suitors. The clan elders won't admit a foreigner into the clan's compound, so you won't even be able to live with the clan."

"I am not marrying a clan, I am marrying a man" she said. "I love your son, Fugaku-san. He makes me happy and I believe I make him happy." Fugaku's eyes tapered on hers and she let out a sigh. "We will get married, Fugaku-san" she said and Fugaku tensed. "We will have children" she said and Fugaku closed his eyes. "And we would love for you to be part of our new journey, because _it is_ happening."

Fugaku opened his eyes and met the medic nin's green eyes, he stared at her for what it felt like three minutes to Sakura, he slowly got off his seat and gradually walked through the door and out of the hospital. Sakura let out a sigh after she felt his presence leave the building. Saying she was not intimidated by the leader would be a lie. Sakura had felt always uneasy when he saw Fugaku ever since she met him at age 12. Sasuke had warned her that he might try to talk to her, she expected him to request her presence at clan's quarters or the Police Station, but she would have never guessed that he would have visited her in her territory. She couldn't tell what it meant that Fugaku had left without a last word, she sighed for the nineteenth time that day and got up to resume her activities in the hospital.

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He felt alone. His wife was not on his side, his eldest son was never to begin with—when was Itachi ever on his side? —and his youngest hadn't talked to him for more than two weeks. He left the Hospital and not feeling in the mood to go back to the Police Station he wandered around town, he didn't know for how long he kept walking, but after a few hours of walking he looked up from the ground and realized he had made a full circle; he was around the hospital once again. He felt a presence arrive to the hospital, facing his son right now was not the thing he wanted but he would do it, nonetheless. To his surprise, though, his son who arrived at the opposite end of where he was—thirty or so meters from where Fugaku was—stayed in front of the hospital and never reached the area where Fugaku was. Fugaku masked his chakra, if his son hadn't seen him yet he would like to keep that going for as long as possible. He made the hand signs to completely mask his chakra, a strong jutsu special to the point that even his sons Itachi and Sasuke wouldn't be able to recognize him unless they made the hand signs to increase their sensitivity, something he doubted Sasuke would do since Fugaku had just realized he had come to pick up his girlfriend. Sakura would offer good enough distraction for Sasuke not to sense anything weird that made him pay close attention to his surroundings. After a few minutes the pink-haired nin walked down the stairs from the hospital and met Sasuke.

"Hey" she said as she walked towards him. He looked suspiciously at her, something about the way she greeted him made min uneasy, but he made no comment. Sakura crossed the street to greet him and started walking next to him. Fugaku was a few blocks down, sharingan on, looking at the exchange. He hesitated on following them but pushed back his doubts and continued to follow them as an A class ninja would.

He saw how they walked through the market, if any other person not familiar with both would see them, wouldn't see anything romantic about them. They didn't hold hands, they didn't occasionally kiss, they didn't even walk very close to each other. They looked like acquaintances and nothing more. For a moment Fugaku considered the theory that his youngest was just rebelling and playing a trick on him to prove a point—whatever that point was. He kept watching them cross the market, side by side, not talking at all. His theory felt more plausible as they advanced … until they walked out of the market and walked towards a street that led to the Avenue where the medic had her apartment.

The girl suddenly stopped and with that her companion, she looked up at him, closed the gap between them as she hugged him. With no one else to see this, Fugaku was surprised when he embraced Sakura back. And not a light embrace, he hugged her strongly. This did not look like his son, Sasuke didn't like physical contact, he hated hugs since he turned six, he didn't even like his head rubbed. Mikoto would force him in hugs but he would never return them completely. This was a side he had never seen of his son, and a sting in Fugaku's chest appeared, he couldn't tell why this made him feel uneasy.

"Tell me" Sasuke asked the pink-haired. She let go of the hug to look at him.

"I had a surprise visit" she said and Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"My father" he guessed. "What did he do?" he asked and lifted her hand to inspect it. "Did he hurt you?" Sakura realized that he might have jumped into a crazier conclusion than the real ordeal and immediately corrected the misunderstanding.

"Oh no, no" she said grabbing his hand. "Not like that. He just requested that I break the engagement" she said. Sasuke narrowed his eyes and without noticing took a step back.

"What did you say?" he asked. Sakura noticed how he probably thought that she could have accepted.

"I said no" she answered, and his tense body relaxed. "As long as you still want this…" she said.

Sasuke scuffed and put a hand on Sakura's head ruffling her hair. Fugaku at a distance realized how little he knew his son, as he had never seen him express that kind of affection.

"I do" he said. "Do you? It's only the beginning" he said.

Sakura smiled and intertwined their hands. "I do. May I remind you that two days ago you were forced to get a picture with the Harunos for their family portrait?" she joked, and he smiled, yes, the Haruno were a completely different family than his.

After a quick hug that the pink haired gave the Uchiha, she led him inside her building towards her apartment. Fugaku knew this was where he had been staying but it was a completely different thing to see it for himself, he wanted to pound the door and drag him away, but after three steps towards the girl's apartment he stopped himself and decided to head home instead.

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"He is an adult, dear" Mikoto said.

Fugaku had come from his impromptu mission and had told everything to his wife—as per usual. From the moment where he went to the hospital and tried to force Sakura to break up with Sasuke… to the moment where he followed Sasuke to the kunoichi's house and saw them go inside. Mikoto listened to all of this and nodded understanding her husband's frustration, she was in favor of the marriage because she was in favor of anything that made her sons happy, but she understood her husband, after all, she shared his opinion for some time. Fugaku had painted a whole idea of how his kids were going to end up like, and everything Sasuke and Itachi had achieved had exceeded his wildest expectations—even if they thought for Fugaku nothing was enough. So, for them to fail in this last ideal that he had of them was the biggest shock they had given him.

Mikoto hadn't judged him when he told her about visiting the hospital. The reason? She had talked to Sakura herself the first week that Sasuke was gone. Mikoto had known Sakura since the young girl was 12, Mikoto was very involved in the life of her son, or so she thought. She knew Sakura's parents, she would give her a small gift on her birthday every year and on Christmas, in general she wanted to keep a relationship with her son's teammates. She kept tabs on her, the same way she kept on Naruto or on Itachi's closest friends. But never once there was any indication for her to think that Sakura and Sasuke were dating, much less wanted to get married. When she received the news being surprised was an understatement, at first, she was in denial, and after a week of not seeing Sasuke she decided to talk to Sakura. In a way she thought she needed a clear confirmation of some sort.

_When she met the pink-haired girl at her apartment before the medic had to leave for her shift, Sakura wasn't surprised. Their eyes met and Sakura looked down at the floor, they walked side by side slowly and not one of them talked for the first few meters._

"_Are you angry, Mikoto-san?" Sakura asked and the black-haired woman looked at Sakura._

"_No" she admitted. "But I want you to know Sasuke is the future head of the clan, this is not going to be allowed" she added sadly. Mikoto had come to meet Sakura with a hard determination of getting some sense into the girl but had melted when the girl spoke. Mikoto noticed how the years had made her soft. _

"_We know" she said. "But hasn't Sasuke made enough for the clan already?" she asked keeping a low voice, Sakura respected Mikoto a lot so she would never talk to her in a challenging manner. "I mean, he helped with the war, he sealed Kaguya, he got a Rinnegan. If there was ever doubt of the Uchiha clan's power, he shut them up" she said._

"_Sakura" she said and they both stopped, Sakura met her eyes. Mikoto wished she hadn't because her green eyes looked sad as if she was holding onto the last string of hope she had. In a way this was true, Sakura respected and idolized Mikoto in a way that despite the medic nin not caring what anybody said about her relationship with Sasuke, she cared a lot what Mikoto thought of it. Mikoto's eyes softened instead of telling her all the objections her clan would have, her body betrayed her, and she leapt forward to hug the young girl. Sakura was surprised but after a few seconds returned the hug. "It's not going to be easy" she said. _

_Sakura nodded. "We know"_

_Mikoto let go of her and laughed for a few seconds. "You know?" she started. "Now that I think of it. From 3 years to now Sasuke had been spending more and more time with you, visiting the hospital constantly even when he was completely healthy" she noticed and reprimanded herself for realizing just now. "He is even in a better mood" she added thoughtful._

_Sakura smiled. _

"_I approve and will support you. I can't vouch for Fugaku or the rest of the clan. If all hell breaks loose… Sakura promise me, you will allow me to see my grandchildren" she added looking seriously at her future daughter in law._

"_Always" she answered._

Mikoto remembered the exchange and sighed, her husband kept complaining about how irrational it would be. She stood up and hugged him stopping him mid-way from his walk around the room.

"Fugaku" she said. And he relaxed under her touch, she looked up at him. "Do you love Sasuke?" she asked, and he tensed and made a movement about to walk away.

"What kind of question—

But she didn't budge and kept a hold on him. "Do you?" she asked.

"Yes, Mikoto. You know that" he said annoyed.

"Love" she said forcing him to look at her. "How many people in the clan we know who have the clean bloodline but are mediocre shinobis?" she asked and Fugaku could think of a few. "I know you're worried about your grandchildren, but wouldn't you rather have them raised by someone like Sakura who overcame every obstacle in her way and became the kunoichi she is right now?"

Fugaku frowned.

"Fu" she said his nickname—something nobody else dared to call the clan leader now—as she lifted her hands and set them on both sides of his face. "I want to be able to see my grandchildren" she said pleading, and he narrowed his eyes. "We both know Sasuke, he can shun people out of his life. I want to be part of his life, I want to be part of his children's lives" she said. His eyes softened on her. "Please"

Fugaku looked at his wife. It was a request, Mikoto rarely asked for things. One, because she was too proud to ask for things, and two because she knew that to ask something of her husband would be immediately granted, and that was to hold a lot of power she felt uncomfortable having. Fugaku couldn't refuse anything to Mikoto, he had known that for a long time now, and he knew she knew it too. He leaned down and placed a kiss to Mikoto's lips that she returned, then he nodded.

"Yes" that's the only thing he said, and Mikoto knew how hard that was to say for Fugaku. She hugged him one more time before leaving the room, leaving a frustrated clan leader to deal with the announcement to the council.

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Itachi, Fugaku and 7 Uchiha's gathered in the Uchiha compound council room. The council was formed by 9 Uchihas chosen by their attributions to the clan, their power and their overall experience as shinobis and in politics. It was known that only the strongest Uchihas made the cut, the council however limited 2 members per Family to belong to the Council, therefore Itachi and Fugaku were the only ones allowed in clan meetings from that family. Fugaku had called an emergency meeting after his talk with Mikoto. He had a few hours to think and meditate all the possible outcomes this meeting could have, after a long time imagining every scenario, resigned he called his eldest and told him about the announcement he was to make. Itachi made sure everyone that belonged to the Uchiha's inner circle was notified.

"Fugaku" and older man than Fugaku spoke first. It was Yashira Uchiha holding grapes in one hand as his usual snack. They were all sitting down around a big red and round table. "What is it? Why the sudden urge to gather?" he asked.

Fugaku closed his eyes and inhaled. Itachi looked at him expectantly, he was surprised by the change of heart his father had just had and wondered if he would pull through.

"I am announcing through this way that my youngest son is going to marry Haruno Sakura" he said. "This is simply a formality that I have to go through, the decision has been made"

The top members of the Uchiha Clan looked at each other confused.

"Fugaku" Kagami said. "Sasuke can not marry someone outside the clan" he stated as if it was a fact that maybe Fugaku had forgotten. Fugaku let it not affect him, he knew this is what it was going to happen, after all, he agreed with them. Nonetheless he had promised himself he would keep his stance for the sake of his relationship with Sasuke… and with Mikoto.

"Sasuke is the strongest member of the Uchiha" Inabi said calmly. He looked at Itachi and Itachi didn't seem affected by this statement, he in fact thought the same way. "We have to keep someone as strong as him within the clan" he said. "Marrying outside would mean the best of the clan would be wasted" Inabi finished.

Fugaku tried to maintain his position but it was hard. Itachi noticed this.

"Members of the council" Itachi said surprising everyone, his voice controlled and confident. "As the strongest member of the clan, Sasuke has chosen for himself" Itachi said. "The strongest member should be allowed to choose who he will marry, you haven't doubted any of my brother's decisions so far. If you trust his decisions so much—like you did during the war. Then you'll trust his decision when choosing a mate" he said.

The further members remained silent but looked at each other plotting how to keep the conversation civil but also aiming to change the resolution of this nonsensical event.

"Itachi-san" Setsuna spoke. "War affairs and love affairs are different. A good general doesn't necessarily mean he will choose wisely a wife. Your brother is young and is infatuated by this young woman. Nonetheless, it's our duty as clan to protect him and see for his future" he said.

They all voiced agreement.

"Gentlemen" Fugaku spoke. "The decision has been made, invitations will be sent within a few weeks. If you wish to oppose, we can handle this matter as gentlemen in the battlefield" he finished, and they all looked surprised at his proposal.

"You sure are joking, Fugaku-san" Teyaki said, his old features showing his discomfort.

"I am not" he said. "I am sure Sasuke will take on the fight. If you don't want to fight him, I will duel in his name to defend his decision" they all looked at each other at this.

"I too will defend in duel my brother's decision" Itachi said, velvet voice covering the room.

Shisui laughed and all the Uchihas looked at him.

"If you put it that way, I'll be looking for a tux right this second" Itachi nodded at his friend. Shisui wasn't against the marriage at all, as Itachi's friend he understood where his brother was coming from. He was also close to Sasuke and because he knew him since Sasuke was a baby he knew very well that any woman who could warm Sasuke Uchiha's heart was deserving of him.

"Shisui, stop that. This is insane, Fugaku" Kagami voiced. "You are threatening the Clan, so your son gets his way? You know how dangerous this is? How many enemies you're creating right now?" Kagami demanded.

"I am aware of the depth of my statement, Kagami" Fugaku said. "I could have allowed my son to just marry without letting you know, but here I am abiding by the rules." He said. "Sasuke is the sole holder of the Rinnegan, he is stronger than anyone in this room, he will continue to become strong… remember he is only 20 years old. He can make his own decisions, and I as his father will support him. He has done more for the clan than any other member at this point, he should be allowed this one request" he finished.

The room fell silent.

"Who is Sakura Haruno?" Again Yashira, the oldest member of the top Uchiha's asked and Shisui coughed to cover his obvious laugh. The whole conversation and he had no clue who they were talking about, Shisui wondered if he knew who Fugaku's son was as well.

"Haruno Sakura, the apprentice of the fifth Hokage" Itachi said. "It's said she has surpassed the sannin, she helped along Sasuke and the Nanadaime to seal Kaguya. She is also the head of every hospital in Fire Country" Itachi said her curriculum in a monotone tone. The members were divided in opinions, but Itachi confirmed that his statement had made some of them to reconsider their positions.

"Sorry! I am late!" a voice entered the room, one of the 9th members of the clan, the last one had arrived. Obito Uchiha came late as usual, if he wasn't the owner of the Sharingan nobody would've guessed that he was an Uchiha. "What did I miss?" he asked sitting next to Kagami.

Fugaku sighed, he really didn't want to repeat himself, but he complied.

"I've called an emergency meeting to announce that my son Sasuke will marry Haruno Sakura" he said.

Obito slowly stood up, he hit the desk with his hand and caused everyone to look curiously at his reaction.

"That bastard!" he said. "Haruno Sakura?! She is so _hot_!" he exclaimed. "How did he get her?!" He asked. "Oh my god, remember the war?!" as if anyone would have forgotten about it. "She single handled healed all the ninjas, that was very impressive. I wonder if they have kids, they could develop her Byakugo seal too. Imagine Uchihas with that seal?! They would be invincible, constantly regenerating, I mean the sharingan already wastes a lot of chakra and with the seal their sharingan would be the strongest ever seen!"

Fugaku was astounded for a second, he had never really liked Obito. He seemed too carefree, but he had developed one of the strongest Mangekyu Sharingan and therefore making him one of the strongest in the Clan and in Konoha. He looked at his son Itachi for a reaction, he found him smirking at Obito. Obito wasn't Itachi's favorite either, he reminded him too much of Sasuke's male teammate, way too loud. But in this particular moment, Itachi found him amusing. He had certainly arrived at the best time.

More importantly, what Obito had said made the rest of the Uchiha council look at each other, they hadn't thought of the possibility of the future offspring of Sasuke to inherit the abilities to obtain the Byakugo seal, if they could, it would for sure make a very strong Uchiha.

"So, when's the wedding?" Obito asked sitting back in his chair.

"May" Fugaku said making Itachi drag his eyes at him, the young man almost wanted to snort at his father. There was no date yet, Itachi was sure of it but of course, he wouldn't dare challenge his father at this moment in front of everyone.

"Okay, this is ridiculous" Inabi said standing up and putting both hands on the table. "I'm sorry but I won't accept this. Sasuke Uchiha is the strongest member of the Clan, he must remain within the clan, he can't mess up his bloodline. I oppose." He said.

"I oppose too" Teyaki said scoffing. The room fell silent and the tension could be felt once again growing slowly.

A huge laughter called everyone's attention, it came from the newcomer. Obito was finding everything hilarious and clearly couldn't see the murderous looks the clan 9 were giving him. He was either oblivious or couldn't care less. Obito smiled at everyone, noticing how some of them had activated their sharingan, the man didn't flinch, with nothing to fear he spoke.

"Like you all have said, Sasuke is the strongest of the clan" Obito said. "Nobody in this room will be able to stop him from marrying. I know since he proposed this meeting Fugaku-san won't, Itachi will not because Sasuke is his brother. Shisui won't do anything that Itachi doesn't want to do. Kagami without the support of his son Shisui will not intervene, let's be real. That leaves Inabi, Teyaki, Setsuna, the old man Yashira and I. Yashira doesn't even know what day it is today, so he out of the question can't fight if his life depended on it, I mean we have him here just because we are surprised he is still alive" Yashira didn't even seem bothered by what Obito had said and proceeded to keep eating grapes. "For my part, I won't dare step in Sasuke's way, he is way too temperamental, has a Rinnegan for fuck's sake, and I honestly am looking forward to the party. And Teyaki, Setsuna and Inabi" he said looking at the three. "You guys are the weakest of the group, I mean would you really dare challenge little Sasuke?" he asked laughing. Inabi started spinning his sharingan aggressively.

"You brat!" he said. Obito stopped laughing but continued grinning, without hand gestures he closed his eyes and opened them showing his Sharingan level three.

"Gentleman" Itachi interrupted. Voice Ice cold, sharingan activated. Obito closed his eyes and deactivated his sharingan, Inabi was dragged to sit down by Teyaki.

"I am just saying that he can't be stopped" Obito said more seriously. "The most you can do is kick him out of the clan, and would you really rather have Sasuke out of the clan than inside but married with an non Uchiha?" he asked genuinely wondering "If he is out of the clan, forget about his help if we ever run into trouble or ever need him for a _coup_". He joked with this last part.

Inabi folded his arm to his chest.

"It's settled then" Fugaku said, then proceeded to end the meeting the same way every meeting would end.

He looked around the room and felt the tension still palpable but knew every conjecture or opposition had died down at this point.

"Itachi?" the clan leader asked.

"I agree with the conclusion" Itachi said his eyes closed.

"Shisui" Fugaku followed.

"Fugaku-san, I have no problem with the resolution of Sasuke-chan's marriage" Shisui answered.

"Kagami?" Fugaku asked.

"What else can I say?" Kagami said, he sighed. "I do hope your brat is happy"

"Obito" Fugaku asked.

"Only if I can be best man" he said and Fugaku gave him an exasperated look. "Just kidding, Fugaku-san. I agree with the conclusion of this meeting"

"Yashira-san" Fugaku asked.

"Yes" he just answered while chewing on his grapes.

"Inabi" Fugaku asked.

Silence, Itachi opened his eyes to look at him. After a full minute, Inabi sighed and nodded.

"I reluctantly agree with the resolution of this meeting" he said. That was good enough for Fugaku.

"Teyaki?"

"I hope your grandchildren can be _decent_ Shinobis, Fugaku" he said, and it affected the leader, but he didn't show it. With a sigh Teyaki concluded. "I am okay with the conclusion"

And lastly "Setsuna"

"It's fine. I agree with the outcome of the meeting"

And thus, concluded the meeting of the Uchiha, they all vacated rapidly, Itachi caught Obito before he left the quarters.

"Obito-san" he called out. "Why did you do that?" he asked, Obito looked at him smiling.

"Too many rules can drive us insane, Itachi" he said.

With a big smile Obito disappeared out of thin air, courtesy of his unique Mangekyu Sharingan feature _Kamui_. Itachi smiled his only thought was that Obito was a 'show off' since Obito was the only one with a teletransportation and tangibility feature like Kamui. That for sure served him to get a place within the council even when everyone doubted allowing him in because of his personality and irresponsibility. Itachi woke from his thoughtful state to stare at his dad who had just put a hand on his shoulder announcing his presence, everyone from the council had left and they were the only ones standing outside the main clan building.

"That went better than expected" Itachi mentioned. Fugaku sighed in response.

"We were lucky to have Shisui and Obito backing this up" the eldest admitted and Itachi nodded in agreement.

"So, May, huh?" Itachi said and his dad grunted in exasperation causing Itachi to smile. "We should get Sasuke now" he said.

A light breeze came from the north and Fugaku turned that way, it led to the entrance to the Clan compound and it was the way he should walk to meet his youngest and tell him the news. It wouldn't be easy, and he felt tempted to send Itachi with the news, somehow meeting Sasuke meant admitting defeat and Fugaku never loses. Sensing his father's internal dilemma, it was this time Itachi who put a hand on his dad's shoulder.

Fugaku sighed and nodded.

"Iku zo" Fugaku said.

.

.

.

Sakura found herself watering her flowers that led to her small balcony, she had been gifted some beautiful flowers by Ino, she had forgotten to water them since she got them as a gift for her engagement and she was supposed to be visited soon by the blonde one. She tried her best to make them look alive.

"They're dead" a voice from the living room said, Sakura stared at her fiancé while keeping the work of watering them

"You don't know that" she said looking back at the flowers. "Do you think chakra can help?" she genuinely asked, and he scoffed at this. Sakura turned around and her senses suddenly hit her with the realization of someone approaching, she almost dropped the glass she was using to pour water. She looked inside to see if Sasuke had sensed something. But the black-haired man had already stood up and put himself in front of the door.

"Your dad?" she asked.

"And Itachi" he answered not looking at her. She placed the glass down and walked towards him nervously. She didn't know what this meant, she thought for a second of getting her Kunai carrier but Sasuke immediately guessing where her mind was going told her to stay put with a look. She tried relaxing but it didn't do much as she tensed her fists not sure what to expect.

Soon the door felt a knock. Sasuke wondered if it would be prudent to open since he didn't expect this kind of behavior, after all, his father never paid visits outside of the Uchiha compound. But he convinced himself that Itachi wouldn't have come if his dad was planning to try something aggressive. Slowly he walked towards the door and opened it.

"Otosan" he said, he unhurriedly opened it more widely to see them both. "Aniki"

The two men stood by the door. Fugaku held a hard look and had an impenetrable aura, he met his son's eyes as the young one opened the door. Itachi was standing on his father's left, his eyes closed and looked mildly disinterested.

"Sasuke" Fugaku said. "May we come in?" he asked. Sasuke looked inside to meet Sakura's eyes and she nodded suspiciously, a gesture that the eldest Uchihas didn't fail to notice.

They entered and Sasuke closed the door after them. They stood standing still, Sasuke standing in front of his father meeting his gaze and Itachi looking at them both waiting for something to unfold. Sakura stood behind Sasuke, she could feel the awkwardness of this encounter. Sakura snapped out of it after a few seconds, reminding herself that the Uchihas were not known for their easiness in a social setting.

"Please sit down" Sakura said smiling vaguely. "Would you like some tea?" she asked as politely as she could to both. Fugaku met her eyes and nodded.

"That would be nice, thank you Sakura-chan" Itachi said.

The three proceeded to sit down around the table set in the dinning room, while Sakura went straight to the kitchen. Subconsciously she thought it would be better to escape the room for now. Sasuke sat in front of his father, Itachi on the right of Fugaku and on the left of Sasuke. Sakura owned a spacious square table; the four corners were wide enough for the Uchihas to hold on to some personal space. Fugaku inspected the place the doctor had for herself with his eyes, the apartment was spacious for a one-person apartment, he remembered she was well positioned in her field since she ran every hospital in Fire Country allowing her to keep this kind of apartment, Sasuke looked at his father curiously.

"Otosan" Sasuke broke Fugaku's examination of the living room with one word. "If you've come here to try to intimidate Sakura like you did in the hospital, I must ask you to leave now" he said. Itachi narrowed his eyes at the news that Fugaku had approached Sakura at the hospital but Fugaku looked unaffected. He didn't respond to Sasuke and instead opted to close his eyes, when the room started to fill with tension once again, Sakura emerged from the kitchen. She let down a green pot on a brown small kitchen wooden plank, there was a small box with different kind of teas and 3 cups.

"Sakura-chan" Itachi called out and Sakura looked up at the eldest brother. "You won't drink tea?" he asked signaling at the three cups. She looked at Sasuke for help since she had assumed, she would not be present in the conversation, Sasuke looked up at her and pulled a chair for her to sit next to him. _Misery loves company, _that's all the woman could think of after Sasuke basically commanded her to sit next to him. Sakura let out a small sigh and went to fetch a cup for herself before joining the men.

She started pouring the hot water on the cups as she mentally started naming all the places she would rather be at, than at her apartment…from the Chūnin exams to the worst Ōtsutsuki dimension, everything seemed like a better alternative. And if given the chance to switch places she was sure that she wouldn't have doubted it for a second. After the cups were filled—she thanked her training with Tsunade that allowed her to have a steady pulse, so she didn't show how nervous she was through her hands—she sat down next to Sasuke and looked at the three Uchihas wondering what this meeting meant. Itachi was looking at Sasuke on his right, Sasuke was looking at his father expectantly, Fugaku in front of Sasuke was only closing his eyes. She noticed how eye contact and staring was probably a Clan trait since none of them seemed affected by it and all of them loved doing it.

With a loud breath, Fugaku fetched something from his pants' pocket, a small box. They all looked at him, Sasuke immediately recognized it, he looked at it and looked up to meet his dad's eyes in surprise.

"I owed you this" Fugaku said as he put the box on the middle of the table. And for the first time in his life Sasuke was left speechless. He slowly picked up the box Fugaku had left in the middle of the table. Confused he resorted to look at his brother and found Itachi looking at him with a satisfied smile on his face.

"You…" Sasuke started but didn't seem to finish. "You… I… You are giving me your blessing?" Sasuke asked after collecting his thoughts. Sakura understood finally what the box meant. She met Itachi's eyes who was in front of her for confirmation and he nodded in response. She looked at Sasuke who was too busy examining his dad for a sign of a trap.

"Yes" that's all the leader said. And Sasuke wanted to ask him what he wanted in exchange for this but Fugaku beat him to it. "The wedding will be in May" he announced to his son and Sakura looked at Itachi again in confusion and he shrugged in response. "You will live in a house within the Uchiha Compound that I will have yet to arrange. You will take my place in the council as soon as I retire. I will oversee the education of my grandchildren when it comes to fire control" he said his announcement slash conditions for the wedding. For one, Sakura was repeating every word he had said in her head trying to understand it as if it were the most complicated jutsu. And Sasuke never expecting this from his father was left looking at him with a confused look, Itachi had an amused look on his face and was examining the reactions of everyone at that table.

Sasuke met Sakura's eyes. Her mouth was slightly opened in confusion and none of them could gather their thoughts fast enough to come up with a response because as soon as Fugaku said the previous, he stood up and made his way towards the door.

"Sakura" he said before he reached the door. The medic looked at him. "Mikoto will help with the wedding arrangements, please meet with her the following week" he said, and Sakura absently nodded in response. Without anything else to add Fugaku left the apartment. As soon as he closed the door, Sakura looked at Sasuke again and smiled.

Sasuke grabbed her hand and she stood up from her chair to hug him, he gladly responded with equally enthusiasm. Itachi looked at the engaged couple with a small smile. They remembered his presence soon enough as the hug only lasted a few seconds and broke the hug, Sakura sat in her place again, too happy to hide her smile.

"What did you do?" Sasuke asked Itachi.

"It was okasan" he said and Sasuke nodded in response.

Their mother Mikoto putting her foot down basically meant she dared defying her husband, something she rarely did. Sasuke felt like meeting her immediately to thank for her intromission.

"How will the council be handled?" suddenly Sasuke was found asking. His father words resonated with him '_You will live in a house within the Uchiha Compound that I will have yet to arrange_' this meant he would have to get the approval of the council. Despite not wanting to go through this process he was well aware that every clan had to go through this sort of bureaucratic procedures, so he just resigned himself to the idea.

Itachi placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder, he looked at his brother examining this gesture.

"Otosan has taken care of it" he said. Sasuke looked at him in confusion, sure his dad hadn't faced the clan by himself announcing something that his father himself found shameful.

"What?" that's the only thing that came out of Sasuke's mouth. Itachi laughed as he dropped his hand from Sasuke's shoulder.

"He called an emergency meeting today and announced the marriage" he said.

Sakura looked at Sasuke surprised, he responded by looking back and then again at his brother.

"And the council accepted?" he asked. He had known the council his whole life and it was the most conservative group out of all the clan councils. His dad also belonged to the conservative side.

"Well… after father threatened them with a duel they did" Sasuke almost chocked on his tea. And Sakura met Itachi's eyes, she recognized how he found amusing telling this story as if he had waited to see their reactions. "Actually, he said you'd duel whoever opposed this, but offered to duel with them if they didn't want to fight you"

Sasuke was left dumbfounded. A verb that had never been used on Sasuke but here he was, trying to make sense of what his brother had said. Fugaku Uchiha willing to fight to defend his son's marriage to a non-Uchiha? It didn't seem possible. And yet, that same man was in that same room a few minutes ago giving him a ring. Itachi smiled at this and started to get up.

"Alright, got to go" he said, he squeezed his brother's shoulder as a goodbye gesture. "Thank you for the tea, Sakura-chan" he said, and she smiled a little dumbfounded herself. He walked towards the door, opened it and before leaving and disappearing through it he looked back and said "Congratulations".

There was a moment where none of the remaining individuals in the room said anything, both were surprised, both wanted to make sense of it, but none could for a few minutes. Sasuke scoffed and smirked, he looked at Sakura.

"So… do I have to kneel down?" he said after a few minutes and Sakura looked at how he was holding the box and staring at her.

"Baka" she said sweetly. How much had they fought to finally have this? Her life, their lives, had been a roller-coaster from the moment they decided to get married. Sakura remembered every single instant since then. First, she was over the moon, after all she was marrying the man she loved. But that happiness was toned down the moment the realization hit of how many people would oppose the union, then guilt made her reconsider for a few moments the union since Sasuke was breaking up with his family in order to be with her. And now, it was all over, they both felt like their shoulders were lighter as if a huge weight had lifted itself and disappeared. "Yes, you do" she said.

Sasuke didn't comply but he did grab her by the wrists and pulled her to his lap. They both remained hugging like that for what it seemed like a peaceful hour. They could've stayed like that the whole night, the knock on the door woke them from the moment.

"Oh shit, Ino" she said. Sasuke with a look told her to ignore the door. "You know, she can sense us…" she said, and he shrugged. She smiled and gave him a peck on the lips before getting up to answer. Sasuke got up as well.

"I'll see my mother" he said. And Sakura smiled at this, she nodded in agreement and gave him a quick last kiss before he disappeared, and she was left alone ready to handle her blonde friend.

.

.

.

Fugaku loved his children, he didn't show it, but he did. Fugaku also loved his grandchildren, and as opposed to his kids, he _did_ show it. He loved Sarada, his first grandchild, he was soft on the girl but just like with his sons he had high expectations for her. Luckily for Sarada, she was gifted and exceeded his grandfather's expectations every time. He also loved his second grandchild, Itaka, he was only three now, but he had already seen signs of extraordinary on him.

"_Look how he throws his toys! That shows how precise he will be when handling kunais" he had said as they were babysitting the 3-year-old and the little one threw a temper tantrum and flung his small stuffed toy directly into a bin across the room._

"_Dear" Mikoto said. "That was just luck"_

"_No, Mikoto. He has a gift" Fugaku said and his wife smiled at him as if she was looking at a delusional kid._

If someone asked Fugaku in the present day if he regretted supporting his son's decision of marrying Haruno Sakura—Uchiha Sakura now—he would say no. She had gifted him with the two most precious grandchildren, and despite his fear of them turning out weak… he would admit now he was further from right. Sarada was now six and had the best chakra control of any kid her age, she was increasingly becoming better at it, now only using 30% more of what she's supposed to and lowering the percentage every month. Fugaku had to admit that this feat was all Sakura's.

His relationship with Sakura had been distant even after accepting the marriage to be. The wedding planning was handled by Mikoto and Sakura—at first—who were in contrast very close. Fugaku had little to do with it and barely talked to Sakura unless it was necessary. The wedding ran smoothly, they had only planned to invite the closest members to the couple, but the Hokage had other things in mind. Naruto had decided to pitch in and make the wedding a village event, to Fugaku's surprise. Kages from other villages had come, surprising everyone in the clan who had just realized how high of a profile Sakura and Sasuke were. Sasuke was not content with this but Sakura kept him at bay by telling him how it was better than any other scenario—Sasuke was not so sure anymore. The clan was at first uneasy and reluctant about Sakura moving in within the compound, which was Uchiha _only_. Despite them not voicing it loudly, Sakura would notice it every time she walked around the compound and felt people talking behind her back or stare at her jealously, she would also not get responses from people in the compound when she asked them questions or just greeted them, a lot pretending she didn't exist. Fugaku noticed this and gained new respect for Sakura when he saw how gracefully she handled this and didn't allow herself to be affected. One event in particular aid to get her acceptance within the clan, soon after Sarada was born there was an incident when one missing nin had infiltrated the compound and tried kidnapping a Uchiha baby, grandson of Inabi Uchiha. The kidnapper was apprehended before he fled the village, but the altercation left the family of Inabi almost dead since the kidnapper had used an unknown poison to kill them. Sakura who was at home heard the commotion immediately ran to their aid, before the eyes of everyone in the compound—Fugaku Uchiha included—she without breaking a sweat took out the poison within the 4 members of the household, something the previous doctors who had come to the scene failed to do. She also made an antidote in the spot and saved them from death. Sakura was seen in a different light after that, Fugaku met her eyes after the ordeal and she bowed in response. If Fugaku didn't have her in a good light after that, he for sure did a year before his grandson was born. Itachi was diagnosed with blindness at the age of 29, the cause; the overuse of the Mangekyu Sharingan. This blindness was a known cause of overusing the Mangekyu, nonetheless, Itachi always said he used it only when necessary and didn't regret any of the times that he did. He had to stop his ninja duties as he could only see as far as his arm and nothing else beyond that. Sakura in denial of accepting her brother-in-law's destiny—which was the reality of every Mangekyu User in the history of the clan—invested herself in full in the search of helping him, it took her a year of full research, she didn't do anything else besides spending time in the lab for Itachi. And she created an experimental surgery where she only would use chakra to reverse the process of the blindness.

It was experimental and risked his death but Itachi accepted it fully believing on his sister-in-law capabilities. Mikoto asked him to not go through with it, but Itachi ignored his mother's pleas. The surgery was done by Sakura with the aid of Shizune and Tsunade. The surgery took 9 hours. And after 15 hours the family could see Itachi, the results of the surgery were shown after 2 weeks when he was finally allowed to take his blind off himself. The result was satisfactory, Mikoto cried and hugged Itachi, the whole family was incredibly amazed by the feat Sakura had just achieved.

"_Sakura" Fugaku called from the other side of the hospital room and in front of everyone. Everyone in the room, Itachi included turned to look at the head of the family. "Thank you" he said sincerely._

"_You don't have to thank Fugaku-san" she said smiling. "We are family" she said. _

Sakura thanks to the surgery performed on Itachi had developed a type of treatment that would lead to the creation of new cells after the Mangekyu was used preventing blindness. The Uchiha council called this treatment the new step into cementing themselves as the strongest clan alive, Fugaku noticed how even the most skeptic of the clan members like Inabi, Teyaki and Setsuna were happy with this new development and gave credit where credit was due. He observed how they stopped calling Sakura as 'Haruno Sakura' but instead called her 'Uchiha Sakura'.

Fugaku remembered all the ordeals that had taken place in the last 6 years, he wouldn't have thought he would be in this precise moment six years back. He held his sleeping grandchild to his chest as he thanked the moment Mikoto had put her foot down and "forced" him to accept the union, if she hadn't maybe he wouldn't be in his grandchildren lives. He forced that thought out of his mind as he held the toddler closer to him. He saw how Sarada was working on her Kunai throwing skills with the aid of Mikoto in the garden. He met Mikoto's eyes and smiled when they saw each other. He looked how she held Sarada in place to perfect her stance, he loved that woman. With that in mind he now couldn't believe how he almost forced Sasuke to marry someone he didn't love, he had seen Sasuke's eyes when Sakura walked into the room. And he now recognized that look, because it was the same look he gave Mikoto when she appeared in the room. As if the world was chaos but her presence calmed it all.

He felt the couple arriving just now.

"Hello" the woman greeted and Fugaku nodded acknowledging their presence. Sasuke walking behind her nodded to both his parents.

Mikoto made Sarada stop whispering to her granddaughter that her parents had arrived. The young one smiled and both walked to the newcomers.

"How was the meeting?" Mikoto asked and Sasuke shrugged.

"It was nothing major, I sometimes think Naruto just asks us to come for moral support" Sasuke answered tiredly causing Sakura to smile.

Sakura walked to Fugaku to relieve him of his duties and he complied by handing her the sleeping three-year-old.

"I hope they didn't cause you much trouble Fugaku-san" she said, and he denied with his head.

"Bachan taught me how to throw three kunais at the same time" Sarada announced and her dad ruffled her head and smiled.

"That's advanced" Sakura hyped her and Sarada looked at her grandmother smiling surprised that she had taught her so much.

"We'll go now" Sasuke announced to Sarada's disappointment. Mikoto noticed this and smiled to the young girl.

"You'll come on Sunday" she reminded Sarada and this made the young one smile. "I can teach you to throw four this time" she whispered and Sarada smiled and nodded excitedly, she then proceeded to leave the garden intending to leave the house looking forward to the weekend.

"Thank you so much Mikoto-san" Sakura said and looked at Fugaku. "Fugaku-san" and smiled genuinely.

Sasuke gave a small smile to his mother and a nod to his father before turning around and leaving with a hand on the back of his wife. After they left, he found himself sighing and Mikoto laughed at him.

"You are becoming old, love" she said, and he nodded in agreement. He recognized that as he became a grandfather, he started seeing things differently, he could identify himself in his youngest son every time he saw an interaction between him and his wife. He realized how insignificant a lot of things were now that mattered to him a few years ago, it's like he was blindfolded all his life and just now he was seeing life the right way. He got up from his chair and hugged his wife, the gesture startled his wife, but she knew what he was feeling, she knew him so well.

"Are you happy?" she asked him while wearing the biggest smile. He looked down at her and placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Yes" he said. "I am only missing Itachi having kids" he finished.

"Oh, Fu" Mikoto said rolling her eyes. She smiled and hugged him harder.

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A/N:

I enjoyed writing this so much, non-massacre settings are the best. I also liked adding in a joke with Obito mentioning a possible Coup d'État (the reason why the Uchihas were massacred in the first place).

I know a lot of Mangekyu's would be impossible if all the Uchihas were alive, but in this story, they got them through other means than murdering each other.

Did you like it?

Please leave me a review and share your thoughts.

With love,

Nena-Uchiha22


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